What’s Next for Belmond?

Belmond hasn’t had the easiest time over the past few years, but its collection of iconic hotels and trains make it an intriguing target.

— Patrick Whyte

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The Skift New Luxury newsletter is our weekly newsletter focused on the business of selling luxury travel, the people and companies creating and selling experiences, emerging trends, and the changing consumer habits around the sector.

Skift Senior Hospitality Editor Deanna Ting has written a great explainer on the lay of the land at Belmond, after the luxury operator effectively put itself up for sale last week.

Whenever a company launches some kind of “strategic review,” it’s really code for, “we’re selling the business as long as someone meets our asking price,” and there are plenty of potential suitors.

But any buyers would do well to read the piece all the way to the end, where Melissa Biggs Bradley, founder and CEO of luxury travel planning company Indagare Travel, explains what makes certain luxury brands so special.

Belmond’s hotels and trains are truly iconic, or as Biggs Bradley puts it: “The kinds of places people mark milestones in their lives at … that dig deep into people’s emotional experiences.”

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